All Posts by Linda Weaver

Before we know it, the harvest is in, the grapes have been pressed, and we’re raking grape leaves! We are also spending a little more time indoors and pulling out those favorite fall recipes. What follows are several seasonal wine and food pairing suggestions.

In all wine and food pairings, there are four basic components to consider: sweet, sour, salt, and bitter. The trick is to find one component in the dish and then either find a wine that contrasts or emulates it. Here goes, and enjoy!

Editor’s Note: While it’s hot and humid outside and autumn may seem a long time away, the Mt. Nittany Vineyard & Winery has a variety of events as we transition to the cooler days ahead. If you love local wine, please mark your calendars for these fun happenings.

With step-by-step instruction guided by Nancy Alpago, an experience instructor and former art teacher, you will learn to use a one-stroke painting technique to create two hand-painted wine glasses. This two-hour class is the perfect creative outlet for you and a friend. Come for an evening of fun, relaxation, and creativity and leave with two beautiful hand-painted wine glasses.

Whether you have a houseful of friends and family dining with you this holiday season or are looking for some tried and true favorites, we’ve come up with some cold-weather recipes that are easy to prepare and go well with some of our best-selling wines.

A Heartland Christmas with the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail, various locations, Dec. 5-6

Take a trip back in time to when Christmas was a wonder to behold. As part of this wine tour, enjoy handmade gifts, family time, and drinks to celebrate this festive time of year. A Heartland Christmas celebrates the season with a different ornament from each of the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail wineries.

On Saturday, Feb. 7, Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery will hold a Walk-Around Tasting from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. During this special wine and food pairing event, we will be featuring gourmet appetizers by Brown Dog Catering paired with our award-winning wines. And while you sip and savor, enjoy the soulful acoustic guitar music of Laura Boswell. Cost is $25/person; a credit card number will hold your reservation. You can make a reservation by calling (814) 466-6373. This is just one event at the Winery in February and March, keep reading for a few more:

Celebrate fall and harvest time with the wineries of the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail! Their Nouveau Weekend Event, Nov. 8/9 and Nov. 15/16, is your chance to try newly-released and newly-made or “noveau wines” which are fruity and flavorful and meant to be consumed in celebration of the season. There will also be plenty of your current favorites to taste as well.

Celebrate fall and harvest time with the wineries of the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail! Their Nouveau Weekend Event, Nov. 8/9 and Nov. 15/16, is your chance to try newly-released and newly-made or “noveau wines” which are fruity and flavorful and meant to be consumed in celebration of the season. There will also be plenty of your current favorites to taste as well.

Winery owners Joe and Betty Carroll invite you to an intimate evening with your friends at the Mt. Nittany Vineyard & Winery. Our Winemaker’s Harvest Dinner, catered by Brown Dog Catering, is an opportunity to enjoy the fruits of the harvest and the company of fellow wine lovers at our beautiful setting on the side of Mt. Nittany. We have selected wines to accompany each course and will discuss the pairings as the evening progresses–hope you will join us!

Mt. Nittany Vineyard & Winery received many entries for their annual Harvest Photo Contest. The First Place winner, receiving a $50 gift certificate, was Tom Gari, and his wife, Dawn Gari, was Runner-Up receiving a $25 gift certificate. There were several Honorable Mentions, all receiving a certificate for a Winery Tour and Wine & Cheese Tasting for Four.

As the summer winds down and we enter fall, the Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery will offer up a variety of events, from a wine and tapas gala, to a harvest photo contest, a Plow-to-Plate Harvest Dinner, and their annual Mt. Nittany Harvest Fest. Details below:

To celebrate June as “National Dairy Month,” Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery will host free wine and cheese tastings every Saturday in June from 12 noon until 5pm.

On Saturday, June 7, local cheese artisan Stone Meadow Farm will be available in the winery tasting room to provide samples and sales of their products. Stone Meadow raises milking and beef cattle in the beautiful pastures of Centre County, Pennsylvania. Their cheeses are made directly on the farm from fresh, whole unpasteurized milk which is dense with nutrients due to their farming practices and breed of cows. Stone Meadow makes a variety of hard cheeses: Cheddar, Swiss, Colby and Jalapeno Jack. In addition, seasonally they offer soft cheeses such as Camembert and Taleggio, as well as smoked cheeses.

Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery held its second (sold-out!) wine and cheese pairing event, “Wine and Cheese Fundamentals,” on June 30th. The event was led by Jamie Ryan, a central Pennsylvania native and Penn State graduate. Jamie is a wine consultant with a distinguished fifteen year career in wine sales, purchasing, and education and brings with her a comprehensive knowledge of the wine industry from vineyard to the table. The class enjoyed a casual evening of guided wine and cheese pairings and an interactive discussion of the connection between them. Here, Jamie shares with us her insights on the topic:

What better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than with a pitcher of Sangria! This recipe has been adapted from Cook’s Illustratedand makes use of readily available ingredients. For the main ingredient—red wine!—I suggest a bottle of Mt. Nittany’s Rock Hill Red. It’s on sale now, two bottles for $20.

If you’ve been to the winery lately, you may have seen owners Joe and Betty Carroll out in the vineyard with their pruning shears. Assisted by winery staff, Jinx Proch, Jeff Proch, and Sandy Alexander, they are attempting to stay on top of the seasonal requirements for grape pruning that will set the stage for the quality and quantity of this year’s grape production. This task has been a challenging one thus far given the early warm weather, which led to an early bud break.

As part of the celebration of our local wine trail, Mount Nittany Winery is offering special wine and food pairings during the month of March. This weekend we will feature local food products including cheese from Clover Creek Cheese Cellar, gourmet crackers from Rip Rap Bakery, and Cooke Tavern potato soup in honor of St. Patrick’s day!

Purchase your “Ticket to Good Taste and Adventure” at one of the ten participating wineries. Cost is $20 each or two for $35. For more information, visit: www.pawinetrail.com.

Continue reading to see recipes for the Mediterranean dishes that we served during last weekend’s pairings.